The Top 100 21st Century Films – According to 177 Critics

We often hear the phrase “back in my day” or “they don’t make them like they used to” thrown around, often with a tone of depressed resignation. This is said about films, games, books – you name it, “back in my day”, they were better.

But were they really? Sure, you think cinema, you probably think summer blockbusters full of explosions and not much else. But there is so much out there outside of the brain-dead Hollywood spectacles that fill the summer calendar. You don’t even have to look that hard to find them.

BBC Culture surveyed 177 film critics from around the world to determine the best films from the 21st century, getting a critic from every continent except Antarctica. Although, technically, 2001 was the start of the century (according to maths), this poll does include the year 2000.

The list is, as you would expect, huge – but before we get to that, I want to draw attention to a couple of very worthy mentions from the list.

An absolute favourite film of mine sits at the fairly impressive no. 30 spot – Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy. Forget the remake – that shouldn’t even exist. This is a classic and very disturbing tale of revenge that I still remember fondly, after having first watched it college back in 2004(ish).

It tells the tale of Oh Dae-su, who is imprisoned for 15 years inside a single room without ever being told why. Then, without warning, he is let go and thus begins his journey to find out who imprisoned him, and why. The tale is dark, twisted, and brilliantly told. If you can stand the subtitles, it’s well worth a watch.

The second and final film I want to draw attention to, before I get to the list is very high up indeed at no. 4 – Spirited Away. Most people know Studio Ghibli to some degree, especially if you are into anime at all. Many would argue that Spirited Away is the best Ghibli film (not me, I prefer Nausicaa in the Valley of the Wind), but even if you disagree there, there is no argument this is a fantastic film and an absolute classic.

It tells the story of Chihiro, whose parents take a wrong turn and end up in a magical world that her father insists on exploring. While her parents eat like pigs, Chihiro is drawn into a world of both magic and mystery, where there are darker tones underfoot.

With that out of the way, you can find the full list below. Let us know your thoughts onFacebook and Twitter.